Computer networks have become standard features of many environments. Often, a new network is introduced alongside an existing network. The multiple networks may or may not share technologies (e.g., one can be wireless while another uses a coaxial cable), but they are often configured to share traffic. For example, a wireless device in a home seeking to access the Internet may direct its traffic to a wireless hub that connects to a DSL line for connectivity to an Internet service provider.
Some network technologies provide “point-to-point” links, that is, links (usually wires or optical fibers) that connect one device to only one other device. Other network technologies (often based on coaxial cables or radio) are called “multi-point” and support many devices communicating simultaneously with each other.
When an environment supports multiple networks, it is possible that there are “parallel” links for data, that is, more than one path may exist for data to move from one given point to another. For applications requiring high-speed data transfers, it is, of course, desirable to use these parallel links to get the data across faster than would be possible by using only one of the parallel links. Known techniques (called “bridging architectures” and using “bridging protocols”) have been developed to allow this: The networking environment is queried, and parallel data links are found. If possible, parallel data links are “aggregated” into one logical data link. Then, devices use the logical aggregated data link as if it were a single link whose bandwidth is the sum of the bandwidths of the physical data links that make up the logical data link.
In any bridging architecture, it is important to avoid creating “routing loops” wherein data packets are sent around and around eventually getting nowhere. To prevent these loops, known bridging architectures only aggregate point-to-point links, that is, links that connect only two devices (which devices are usually bridges). While these bridging architectures are able to use links based on multi-point technology, in practice they can only do so when the “multi-point” links are in fact restricted to supporting only two devices. This restriction on the bridging architecture is so strong that if a logical aggregated data link were to be formed that incorporated a multi-point link, in which the multi-point link connects to at least one device in addition to the two end-point devices, then the end-point devices would no longer be able to communicate with that additional device.